Should Zambia drop tradition of bride price payment? The bride price, which is known as Lobola in many parts of the country, is paid by the family of the man to the family of the woman before the two are married off.
According to the tradition, this is done to compensate the woman's family for their daughter and to show gratitude on how they raised her. But over the years, its intended purpose is being lost. For some men, paying a bride price equals "buying" the woman, who becomes their property that can be treated in whatever ways they want, including beating. On the other hand, there is a growing concern of the commercialization of the bride price where parents see it as a source of income, a move that is fueling early marriages, especially in rural parts of the country.
The size of the dowry price now depends on how affluent the man is and how far the woman went in her education, which led to an increase in the amount of money charged. Questions are now being asked on whether it is necessary to continue with the practice.
In February, the Zambian government was forced to dismiss media reports that it intends to pass a law to abolish the payment of bride price. Meanwhile, the women movement has reignited calls for the abolishment of the practice. Sarah Longwe, the organization's chairperson, said the practice should be abolished as it contributed to an increase in gender-based violence cases, early and forced marriages. She said it was unfortunate that even tribes that previously never involved in the practice have started doing so and demanding for money just for financial gain.
Society has started viewing women and girls as goats, chickens and cows that they can easily exchange with money," she said in a statement. She added that a number of women were being unjustly treated as men boasted of having bought them and that they had a right to treat them in the manner they wanted. The practice was introduced by ancestors and worked well in their time but now it was exploiting and working against women in this generation, she said.
